Good afternoon! It’s Tuesday, and it looks like the U.S. needs to take out a Craigslist ad for a new roommate at the International Space Station. Here’s what you need to know today.

1. The number of monkeypox cases in Illinois jumped by more than 100 in just three days

The total number of confirmed cases identified in Illinois stood at 344 on Monday, according to the latest figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s up from the 238 cases reported on Friday.

Illinois accounts for about 10% of the 3,487 known cases in the U.S. And the state has the third highest total, coming behind New York (990) and California (356). The first probable case of monkeypox in Chicago was reported on June 2.

A big question on a lot of minds is what will happen when large numbers of people gather for the many upcoming outdoor festivals, like Lollapalooza and Market Days?

My colleagues Katie O’Connell and Bianca Cseke report local health officials are stepping up efforts at these events to raise awareness of the outbreak.

“We’ll provide some opportunities to vaccinate during that time in sort of clinical spaces or venues adjacent to the facilities,” said Massimo Pacilli, a deputy commissioner at the Chicago Department of Public Health. [WBEZ]

Meanwhile, the virus has made its way into the Cook County Jail. Health officials believe the risk to the general population at the jail as well as staff is low based on how the disease is transmitted. [Chicago Sun-Times]

As I mentioned yesterday, some health experts are worried that failing to contain the virus could result in it mutating and becoming a greater threat.

“One study published in 2008 warned that if monkeypox were to be introduced to an unvaccinated population, the virus could capitalize on the situation and become an epidemic,” reports NPR. [NPR]

2. A stabbing on the Red Line reignites a debate over public safety on Chicago’s public transit

A Red Line rider this week pulled a knife against seven robbers, killing a 15-year-old boy who police say had a gun.

“It was the second time in three days that a rider on the Red Line used a knife to fend off a large group, and it comes as CTA officials acknowledge they’ve had problems filling shifts with unarmed guards, an initiative announced back in March,” reports the Chicago Sun-Times.

But a CTA union president says relying on unarmed guards is a waste of time.

“No one respects these unarmed security guards who are doing nothing,” said Eric Dixon, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 308, who is pushing for the CTA to establish its own police unit. [Sun-Times]

3. A proposed $10.2 million contract would keep uniformed officers in some of Chicago’s public schools

Chicago’s Board of Education is expected to vote tomorrow on a new agreement with the Chicago Police Department that would keep cops in some public schools for at least a year.

The school district’s policing program has “undergone major changes the past couple years after widespread protests called for the removal of officers from schools — and scrutiny has subsided as that pressure led to reform,” reports my colleague Nader Issa at the Sun-Times.

After a public outcry, the number of officers assigned to public schools was cut by more than a third, their role has been scaled back and payments from the school district to the Police Department have fallen from $33 million in 2020.

Now, 17 schools want to continue having two full-time cops in the fall, while 23 others want only one. [Sun-Times]

4. Democrats ramp up efforts to meddle in GOP primaries

A national Democratic group is spending money in a Michigan Republican primary, the latest instance of the party’s controversial moves to elevate far-right GOP candidates that Democrats believe would be easier to beat in the fall, reports NPR.

The move comes after Gov. JB Pritzker and his fellow Democrats ran ads attempting to help a far more conservative candidate win in last month’s GOP primary in Illinois.

U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger, an Illinois Republican, blasted such moves.

“It’s disgusting,” he told CNN this morning. “You’re going to have election deniers win [in November]. So while I think a certain number of Democrats truly understand that democracy is threatened, don’t come to me after having spent money supporting an election denier in a primary, and then come to me and say, ‘Where are all the good Republicans?’ ” [NPR]

5. A bill legalizing same-sex marriage may have a chance of clearing the Senate — but it has a narrow path

The bill appeared to be dead on arrival in the Senate, but it now looks like it may have a chance, reports The New York Times.

The House last week approved the legislation with the help of 47 Republicans, which showed there was bipartisan support for legalizing same-sex marriage.

Senate Republicans could block the measure from advancing. But at least four Republican senators have said they support the bill. And unlike abortion, Republicans are “deeply divided” on the issue of same-sex marriage, the Times reports.

“Many conservative lawmakers have switched their positions over the past decade, as the country overall has come to accept same-sex marriage as a settled matter,” the newspaper reports. [NYT]

Here’s what else is happening

• A member of the Chicago City Council is resurrecting the idea of publicly funded elections in the hopes of attracting a more diverse pool of candidates. [Chicago Sun-Times]
• Gov. JB Pritzker and other Democrats praised Chicago as the best city for the 2024 Democratic national convention, but a rift within the state Democratic Party hovered over the sales pitch. [WBEZ]
• Recreational marijuana sales and tax revenue in Illinois both shot up 50% in the past year. [Chicago Tribune]
• Heading to Lollapalooza this weekend? Here are 10 acts to catch. [Sun-Times]

Oh, and one more thing …

I recently found out there’s a horror film coming out on Peacock called They/Them, and I am very intrigued to see how this plays out.

The film stars Kevin Bacon and Theo Germaine, who you might recognize from TV shows like The Politician and Work in Progress.

As Deadline reports, the film takes place in “a Christian-oriented ‘gay conversion therapy’ camp in a remote, wooded area, preaching a contradictory philosophy of self-acceptance and what amounts to self-denial. A fresh busload of LGBT and non-binary youths show up for ‘treatment,’ most of them dispatched by their families hoping they will learn to conform to societal norms.” [Deadline]

Tell me something good …

It’s almost August? Where did the summer go? While we still have time to enjoy the warm weather, I’d like to know what is your favorite song of the summer?

Katrina writes:

“ ‘Unconditional I’ by Arcade Fire. It’s catchy and bouncy and great for blasting while driving around doing summer errands. More importantly, it’s a great reminder to us parents that time with our kids is precious and fleeting, and while summer is busy, it’s also the time we have to share some important life lessons before they leave the nest.”

And Frank writes:

“ ‘Boys of Summer’ by Don Henley. It’s probably an end of summer song, but still one of my favorites.”

Feel free to email or tweet me, and your response might be shared in the newsletter this week.